Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-20
WEDNESDAY, JULY go, 1887.
Kalakaua,s Last Chance.

The sudden resolution of Queen
Kapiolani to return to Honolulu, and
her great anxiety to get there, would
imply that she has received private
advices of more serious character
than the news that has reached the
public would seem to indicate. Kala-
kaua had failed at last advices to sign
the new constitution forced upon him
by the revolutionists, and was resort
ing to all sorts of shifts and excuses to
delay giving the instrument his royal
sanction. And well he might, for it
contains provisions that would strip
the throne of some of its dearest pre-
rogatives, as well as throw himself
and his successors entirely in
the mercy of the foreigners. The
new constitution aims at the disfran-
chisement of the native population. 1t
imposes property-tax, and the
Kanakas are, almost to a man, inn
mersed in the EXTREMIST poverty.
Hence, under that instrument, the
suffrage would only be exercised by
the property holding foreigners, a
large percentage of whom are Chi
nese. This disfranchisement would
Inevitably lead to the subjugation of
the native race, and carry in its
train the ultimate setting aside of
the native dynasty from the rule of
the kingdom. 1t would literally place
ga barren sceptre in the hands" of the
future successors of Kamehameha,
and make the children of the soil the
pariahs of the realm. The deposed
Premier, Gibson, has astutely fore
seen in this attempted disfranchise-
ment Of the native population potent
means by which the Kanakas may be
reused from their apathy and made to
become dangerous element of oppo-
sition to the pretensions of the for
eigners. Queen Kapiolani is un-
doubleday in sympathy with her
husband on this point, for she
is full blooded Hawaiian, and
would refuse to see her people de-
graded as proposed by the revolution
lists. Her influence with the natives
is very great. Indeed, strange as it
may seem, the Kanakas have a
higher veneration for their chiefesses
than for their chiefs. This is seen in
their law OF descent, which always
dates from the issue from the mother,
without respect to the father. Her ar
rival in the Islands at this conjlmc-
ture may put a very different aspect
upon the posture of affairs there.
Captain Gibson is an able and shrewd
man. He is now old, but
his history is one of adven-
fure and daring. Twenty-Five
years ago, he was confidant OF
Brigham Young, and one of the lead
ers of the Mormons in Utah. He was
sent by the great head of the Church
of La tier Day Saints to the Islands for
the purpose Of spying out their ad-
vantages for Mormon colonization.
On arriving there he settled, with
crowd of followers in the Island of
Mauia. He availed himself of his mis-
sion to advance his own personal in
terests and finally cut away from the
Church. He has always been looked
upon as deep, farseeing, and disscm-
bling intriguer. He is just the man
TO take the lead in counter-revolu-
fion at the head of the awaken
ed native population. He might
not succeed in making much
headway in the island OF Oahu. But
in the other islands-especially Ha-
waii, Mauai and Kauai-he could, as
the lieutenant Of the rightful mon
arch, stir up condition OF affairs that
might make the islands, outside OF
Honolulu, a very undesirable place for
foreigners. If King David has not
lost his grip, with 80 able a lieutenant
as Gibson devoted to his service, he
may yet hold the winning cards and
make his kingdom too hot for the
reyolutionists.